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The Larry Sanders Show - The Entire First Season

The Larry Sanders Show - The Entire First Season

List Price: $39.95
Your Price: $31.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Larry Sanders Show
Review: Who really cares about the DVD quality? If it's on DVD, the quality isn't going to be bad more often than not. When something is released onto DVD, it's the CONTENT that really matters. In this case, the content couldn't get any better. That's not to say that the quality of the DVD isn't good, because it really is, but...so what?!!. I'm just thrilled to have Larry on DVD and can't wait for additional seasons to be released!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the few almost perfect TV shows now available on DVD
Review: Any shortcomings in minimal packaging and added features (outtakes could be really interesting from this show) is more than made up for by the show content itself. Six stars on a five star scale. You can always rewatch a Larry Sanders episode and expect to pick up some new subtle joke you missed the first time or just to appreciate dry humor and delivery.

Interview with Garry is interesting background to the show's creation, mechanics, and some of the casting.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Savage, cutting humor from behind the camera.
Review: Alright, let's address the video issue first. HBO has been notorious for using maximum compression on their DVD releases. This allows up to six shows per disk, but with a substantial loss of quality and detail. That's a shame, but in a series of this type (shot indoors) it's not really the issue it is with, say, "Sex in the City" (which is similarly compressed and looks awful at times.)

OK -- forget technical details. This series is wickedly, savagely funny. As someone who has worked for many years behind the camera, many of the characters and situations were all to real. It made me uncomfortable at times...but believe me, it's all true. The monster egos, the temper tantrums, the office politics, the no-talent talents, it's all there. Rip Torn steals almost every scene as Artie, buttering up tempermental talent one minute, acting as a brutal enforcer with the office staff the next. Gary Shandling whines and primps and worries that "his [butt] will look fat in pants", and cheerfully ignores anything of substance. And of course, there's Jeffery Tambor as the legend-in-his-own-mind Hank Kingsley, sidekick and shameless pitchman.

The real fun of this series is the appearences of guest stars who mock themselves. Robin Williams in his leprechaun-green suit alone is worth the price of admission, but the award has to go to Carol Burnett, who cautions Larry about the "shortfalls" of his costume!

If you're involved in TV at all, this series will hit very, very close to home. If you're not, sit back and enjoy the backstage madness, and wear loose clothes -- after your ribs stop hurting from laughing, you'll be glad you did!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great show, but pricey for the content
Review: Some previous reviewers have taken great pains to bemoan the poor picture and/or audio quality of this DVD. The copies I watched looked and sounded just fine. Perhaps a few lemons slipped through during production, but the one I saw had no problems of any kind.
As for the content: the show itself is wonderful, but I question the need to space the 11 episodes + interview over 3 discs. Two would have sufficed, and would have been cheaper for the consumer. No disc space was used for bonus commentaries or anything else, so why 3 discs? We've all seen DVD movies with running times of well over 2 1/2 hours on one disc, and it would have been feasible to do the same with this set. That could have saved us all a buck or two without having to dial 10-10-220.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Brilliant
Review: This set represents the first 13 episodes (there are about 89 in all) and each is truly excellent. If you like your satire, get this. If you never saw the show when it was on HBO, get it anyway.

One niggly little flaw was that the 3rd DVD disc only showed a few available episodes and a very small 'more' arrow to highlight the fact that there were others on another page. If you miss this, you'll end-up missing the last of the 13 total episodes.

This is a sitcom, comedy, soap-opera drama; acting is brilliant.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Great show, but poor quality DVD
Review: The Larry Sanders Show is one of my favorite comedy shows. Excellent comedy writing -- this show still makes me laugh. BUT this DVD is of poor quality. I can get a better picture recording off my VCR. I have to say I was very disappointed in this DVD. There is only an interview of Gary Shandling and I was hoping there would be other bonuses on this disc.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Hey Now, It's An Instant Classic
Review: This DVD has already in one day of ownership given me more laughs than I could ever imagine. I remember liking this show during its run on HBO but the great thing about the genius writing and clever stories is that they get better with age. Whereas some comedy feels dated and stale when you go back and watch it, this show is like fine wine. Aged. Wonderful Bouquet. And can really knock you on your ... . This DVD is EXACTLY the same video/audio quality as when originally aired. ... But one thing is for certain, and that is that Larry Sanders Show is a welcome addition to my collection that I will enjoy for years to come. Williams. Carvey. Spade. Sanders. Nuff Said

Hanks For The Memories

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Brilliant & Funny As Ever
Review: Right off the bat, let me address the issue of the image and sound quality. Other than the first episode, which looks a bit funky (but, to be honest, unless you pay close attention you don't notice a thing), the audio and video quality on this DVD are no different from the show that aired on TV. As a previous reviewer stated, the difference between the backstage scenes and the "Larry Sanders Show" scenes were intentional (one shot on film, one shot on tape). It was a creative decision that worked well. I almost bought into the reviewers whining and complaining on here about the quality of the DVD - I'm glad I didn't. Those complaining are a bunch of big babies who have way too much time on their hands to sit there and count the number of lines they're getting on their TV. That all being said, the brilliance of "The Larry Sanders Show" was definitely in the clever writing and the incredible performances of Garry Shandling, Jeffrey Tambor, and, of course, Rip Torn. Right off the bat the tone of the show is set by Larry being "forced" to do live commercials for the Garden Weasel. In inevitable Sanders style, he jokes about digging up dead Teamsters while using the device, and wonders why they would pick a name like the "Garden Weasel" and not the equally rodent-ial "The Amazing Rat Stick." Thirteen great episodes that kicked off the show's first season, and clearly show why this brilliant series was nominated year after year at the Emmy's for "Best Comedy Series."

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A great show
Review: I had to rate this show at the maximum points. I noticed that a lot of other people were simply disappointed with the video quality. But, part of the show was filmed with "video-tape" and part of it with "film." The nature of this kind of filming is that the "film" is not going to look as good as the "video-tape." But, this effect is what lets you distinguish what part of the show is supposedly broadcast on TV as "The Larry Sanders Show" and what part you are supposed to accept as a person looking at the whole show from another view. Naturally, the "video-tape" is going to look better in comparison when you put the whole thing on DVD. The part that is on "film" comes out looking all that much worse in comparison to the "video-tape" because it is just not the same quality. My advice is to not worry "video quality" when making this purchase. The video is not as bad as a lot of the reviewers make it out to be. This artistic technique is very important to the show, in fact. It makes the whole show very unique, too. I say buy it and keep it for posterity on DVD and be sure and bring it out and watch it several times. I can't wait for the following seasons to come out. . ..

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Most disappointing and overpriced DVD in my collection.
Review: Let's get one thing straight right off the bat: I love the Larry Sanders Show. I can't get enough of it...I think it's probably one of the funniest, most brilliant and wonderful shows ever to have graced television (which I generally hate otherwise). However, this DVD is such a shockingly horrendous offering that it's not just an insult to the fan/buyer, but a huge one to the show as well. The video and quality both are just so poor that it's completely ridiculous. I can't believe they even had the gall to release this product in this condition. As has been stated by others many times already, the video is easily the worst I've ever seen on any DVD, to the point where dated, VCR-taped episodes are better. And the audio is average at best. Just appalling. In my case, I am such a rabid fan of both the show and of DVDs themselves that I had to buy this, even knowing in advance of the product's shortcomings, but most others are probably better advised to balk...aside from the poor presentation quality, there are no extras here at all aside from one interview. None of the possibilities that make the DVD medium so exciting was realized...no extra languages, no dolby digital, no bios or "making of" info or anything.

This is a spectacular show, very much undeserving of the slap in the face that this first DVD represents (both to it and its buyers). I truly hope Sony (who has now taken over, apparently) does right by this show and its customers with the subsequent seasons.


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